Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger

Two fights in a row where the fighters tested positive for reefer.  Diego seems batshit insane.  He just keeps coming forward.  The best illustration of this was the Kampmann fight, where he must have eaten a hundred crisp jabs, but still got the decision (I still think he should have lost). Diego comes from the Leonard Garcia school of coming forward and throwing haymakers, although, he moves a lot faster than Leonard Garcia.

Ellenberger is absolutely enormous.  I’d love to know what weight he goes into the cage at.  He’s coming off of a huge victory where he almost punched Jake Shields’ head off.  Jake Shields, who stayed awake after Dan Henderson hit him with everything he had at middleweight.  People say it’s harder to knock a guy out when he doesn’t cut any weight, and that is as close to scientific proof as I have ever seen, besides Frankie Edgar’s insane ability to take a punch. Guys who cut weight come into the ring bigger and stronger though, so if they can avoid getting hit, they pack a wallop.  Ellenberger hasn’t lost since a close decision to Carlos Condit in his UFC debut. Talk about a tough intro to the organization.

Round 1- Ellenberger comes in swinging and the crowd is behind him, since he is a local guy.  Jake lands a big right.  First good punch of the fight.  Jake comes in with an uppercut and misses.  Diego is keeping his hands up when he needs to and defending nicely.  Jake lands a nice knee when Sanchez comes in and Diego checks to see if he is cut.  Can’t tell from this standard definition bullshit .  Diego comes in swinging and lands.  Diego lands a right and Ellenberger ties him up and lands a knee in the clinch.  Diego is breathing hard, comes in and eats a huge right hook.  Sanchez shoots and Ellengerger backs him up against the fence and lands another right.  Diego comes flying in face first and eats another straight right as the round ends.

10-9 Ellenberger.  Diego’s nose is broken.  He’s helping Jake out by walking straight into his punches.  Took about two minutes before Diego gave up on putting his hands up.  Jake is looking great so far, but Diego doesn’t stop coming.

Round 2- Jake with a leg kick.  Jake misses a front kick.  Jake dashes forward, but is unable to tie Diego up.  Jake throws a kick, which is blocked.  Diego throws a kick of his own, which was checked.  Diego rushes in and eats a left.  Diego misses a spinning back kick.  Ellenberger lands another left hook.  Diego comes in and misses.  Ellenberger lands again with the left.  Diego’s face looks like shit.  Jake landing two left jabs.  Diego is getting picked apart.  Jake lands a right.  Heads clash, fighters seem unbothered.  Diego rushes in and lands a right.  Jake lands a left jab.  diego rushes in and Jake shoots lands a takedown and is in Diego’s guard with a minute to work.  Ellenberger working nice combinations to the head and body.  Diego is throwing up the legs, but hasn’t landed anything.  Ellenberger just landed two ridiculous right elbows.  Both landed perfectly.  Diego is bleeding terribly.  His face might be more fucked up than when he fought Kampmann.

Round 3- Jake lands another left.  Diego is being outboxed.  diego needs to turn up the offense.  Jake throws a kick and Diego counters.  Ellenberger with the jab.  Diego shoots in, but Jake shakes him off.  Jake lands a kick and then a left to the head.  Diego looks fucked up. Diego comes in and eats another jab.  Diego walks into another jab.  Face first.  I don’t know what he’s doing running in like that without throwing any punches.  Diego lands a shot, but Jake is able to shoot while he regains his composure.  Diego comes in and Ellenberger lands another knee.  Jake is bleeding from the nose now, but it might be Diego’s blood.  Diego lands a nice left.  Jake needs to get this to the ground before he takes any more damage and he does.  Diego looks at the coock and fights to his feet.  Ellenberger falls in the scramble and diego takes his back and lands a flurry of punches.  Jake is working to get up and Diego is landing a ton of shots.  Ref is rightly letting him go because if he can last another thirty seconds he’ll win the fight.  Diego has him fully mounted and is landing shot after shot.  Jake gets out and swings for the fences as the round ends.

Great fight.  Fight of the night for sure.

29-28 Ellenberger.  No doubt about it.  All the judges agree. 

Great win for the hometown hero.  Good finish for Diego.  He really doesn’t fuck around. The cut on the bridge of Jake’s nose looks ghastly.

Jake is in the hunt for the title.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they got him in against Condit if St. Pierre has a setback.  Either that or they’ll give him a lesser opponent while he waits for Nick Diaz to get back from whatever ridiculously long suspension the Vegas athletic commission gives him.

Diego thanks the lord Jesus Christ for getting him back in the cage.  Diego’s nose also looks ghastly, although broken horribly rather than cut horribly in Jake’s case.  Great free fights from the UFC.  Thanks Dana.